A Sidestep in the Pattern
by starborn
Summary: An orphaned child in our world who loves the WOT books, wakes up one day to find herself in 'randland' It is not just like a normal 'rand land' fic though, it offers an explanation, AND has a plot! She becomes a novice in the white tower, and makes freind


_Hello! This is a mix of two of my favourite WOT stories, a 'Rand-land' one, where a person reading the books gets taken into the magical world of the WOT books, and ones where a novice/accepted is training to be an Aes Sedai. However, unlike some 'Rand-land' fics, it explains how this could happen, and has a twist I hope none of you expect, some of you quicker people will, as, of course, I have put in plenty of hints. Please Read, and Review!_

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_Enjoy reading!_

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_Luv - Starborn_

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A Sidestep in the Pattern – By Starborn

Liane walked out of the house, not looking back. In fact, she hoped she would never see it again in her life. Her new foster family were a bunch of morons, they hardly ever fed her, treated her like a dog half the time, and completely ignored her the rest! They didn't buy her anything at all, her shoes were about five sizes too small and she daren't even ask for the tenth Wheel of Time book (out now in all good book stores). They'd probably go and bloody rip up the other nine, which were her only possessions (she had stolen the backpack), if they knew about them! They were worn from over-reading, since they were the only thing she'd ever read, that she remembered. She did have quite a few gaps in her memory though; she remembered nothing before she had been found at the orphanage. Age ten. Which was considered very strange.  
  


She only knew what people told her, she had an accent no-one could place, and that she read too much of the wheel of time books. They were like a second world to her, very real, and it seemed she sometimes knew things about Robert Jordan's world that even he didn't know. Everyone needs to reason why things happened, and she told herself it was just her over active imagination at work, nothing strange about it.

Her favourite character was Elayne, maybe a strange character to pick, but the fact that she had the same red-gold hair, and the same blue eyes might have had a little to do with it. In fact she also had the same habit of lifting her chin haughtily, but she didn't know it, and it had made her the target of abuse before now.

She had also lived on the streets before, she didn't like it, but it was sometimes preferable to the bustle of the orphanage, or the confinement of a foster home.

She had a lot of knives, which she had also stolen for protection, hidden in about as many places as Mat had them. They weren't, however, just a load of bull. She knew how to use every one of them, having been taught by, well she didn't know who. 

Another one of those missing memories. 

The only thing she had actually remembered when she was found was her first name, and her birthdate. She didn't even remember her last name for crying out loud!

Finding a secluded spot in the crowded and grimy back alleys of London, that were never seen in the guided tours, she sat down, and opened the ninth book to one of her favourite places near the end. 

She had only been reading for ten minutes, however, when two boys appeared, they were both small and skinny, and one looked a lot like a rat.

"'ey Rat!" 

What a good guess. 

"Look 'o we 'ave 'ere!"

"Oh a bookworm," sneered Rat. "Is the poor little girly lost?"

"Not lost." She said, casually folding the corner of her book and placing it beside her. "But you are, aren't you?" The boys' sneers turned to terror as with a practised air she flicked her wrist and took out two knives, twirling them like a cow-boy before putting them back where they came from.

"Aren't you." She said again, this time not stating it as a question. Neither said anything just fled back down the alley. With a shake of her head, they were only kids really; she opened her book again and read until the end.

She finished the last page, and read the glossary just for a bit of fun, before settling down to go to sleep, thinking how she would much rather be in the book than where she was.

**A Side-step in the Pattern**

The next morning she woke up quite happily, only to find that someone had stolen her bag, books and all! They had taken her trainers too! Blood and bloody ashes! Okay, that's when you know you've been reading too much, and it had been happening to Liane for a while now.

She slipped out of the alley and gaped, the world had turned, brighter; there was no other word for it. Then she took a look at her surroundings, and gaped again. The streets, which before had been tarmacked, were just, dirt tracks! With horses and carts! And the people! They looked, like they came from Ebou Dar! No, impossible, but that inns name! She was sure it was an inn, and she was sure it was from the eighth book! She closed her eyes, and opened them again. Still there.  She pinched herself. Still there. She shook her head. Still there!

But wait, what was that the sun was catching when she held her head tilted to the side? It's a Tar Valon golden coin! That hadn't been described in the books, she was sure, but still, she knew, somehow. She picked it up, sheesh its heavy! And real.

No! She couldn't possibly be in a book! Stuff like this just didn't happen! The world looked so real though! It looked more real than the drab streets of London.

"Flaming horse breath!" She muttered. "What am I going to do?" Well, first she had to change, she was attracting too many looks in the trousers and t-shirt she was wearing, she told herself sensibly. 

So saying she fitted actions to the words and found a tailors shop. Soon she was fitted for a dark green silk riding dress, and changed into it immediately, discarding her old clothes. She also bought a pair of stout riding boots, and lunch from a bakers. 

Before looking for an inn.

It took her the rest of the day to find a suitable one, and bought another meal and a room for the night with her rapidly decreasing amounts of silver.

"Thankyou, come again!" Said the small inn keeper cheerfully.

Come again? She hadn't left yet? Strange. But before she could contemplate more on the matter she fell asleep, to a very disturbing dream.

[I] She was younger and her, a girl and a boy, who she knew to be her sister and brother, were all talking, she was the youngest of the trio, and the girl was the eldest, as in most dreams she was looking onto herself, but she didn't seem to have any control over what was happening.

"Liane, you know you can't come with us, and we know you never give up on anything but please if you ever give up on anything please give up on this!"

"No." The younger version of her said fiercely, while she herself wanted to ask 'go where?'

"Please, Liane!" The boy said, "You'll only make Mother more cross with you than she already is, and," The words faded and she felt herself getting pulled away, she was slipping, slipping away.[/I]

And it was gone. Instead a maid was frantically shaking her.

"whaddaya wan'" She said irritably with her mouth full of sleep.

"Miss! An Aes Sedai is down stairs waiting on you Miss! The Aes Sedai will wrap you up with the power, and cart you off with her hands if you don't wake up soon miss! She said so herself!" Her tone said that she thought that would be a rather interesting spectacle to watch, however, she had no time for back-lashing a maid with her tongue, an Aes Sedai!

"What!" She was on her feet in an instant, all thoughts of sleep driven from her head. She hopped into her stockings and dress hurriedly, while the maid brushed her hair and pinned it back neatly.

"Wish I could do that." She grumbled. She had problems with her hair, so she just basically left it alone in the mornings, if she touched it; it attacked her, plus whatever she did with it looked just as bad as it springing up every which way.

"Hurry Miss! You don't want to keep the Aes Sedai waiting."

"No I bloody well don't, and if you call me miss one more time I'll, I'll, Grr!" She growled at the maid, not being able to find sufficient words at this early hour in the morning.

The maid backed into a wall, and without giving her a second thought Liane bounded down the stairs and crashed into a body. The next thing she knew she was lying on the ground staring up into the ageless face of an Aes Sedai.

She blinked once, to clear the stars from her eyes and scrambled to her feet. She executed a perfect sweeping curtsey. Now where in hells bells name did I learn that? From her sister, she recalled, and they had both laughed over Lianes' utter lack of co-ordination. But that was stupid! She didn't even have a sister, much less one that she learnt how to curtsey from!

"Child! Be more careful!" What the, was she imagining things or was a real Aes Sedai asking her if she was alright? However, though child wasn't exactly something she liked being called, she was willing to overlook it just this once.

"I am Neara Sedai, and you are?" Interesting, she didn't know her name. Why that made Liane feel more comfortable she didn't know, it might have been that the Aes Sedai didn't know absolutely everything.

"Liane, Aes Sedai." She said.

"Well, Liane, I must see your parents immediately," she said briskly.

"I haven't got any, that I'm aware of, Aes Sedai." She said, frantically searching for a reason to why an Aes Sedai would be asking for her parents. Oh no! What if they had cottoned on to the fact that she was from another world! She would be taken away for questioning and, she noticed the Aes Sedai was staring at her, and she vaguely recalled her saying something.

"Ah, sorry Aes Sedai, could you please repeat the question?" 

"I said," said the Aes Sedai irritably, "that you must take me to you're guardian."

"Haven't got one." At least not now she'd run away from them. "Aes Sedai." She added, in what she hoped was a meek voice, she had never been good at being meek.

"Well, then, I may just as well tell you here," said the Aes Sedai briskly. "You have the spark inborn in you, child." 

Spark inborn. 

"No that's just impossible!" But she couldn't very well tell the Aes Sedai why. 

"I assure you, child, it is quite possible."  
  


"No, that, just, just, can't!" She stuttered.

"It can and has, and we are to go to Tar Valon immediately."

"Bu…"

"We are to go by the travel window." This was the nick-name it had been given.

"Blood and, I mean, yes Aes Sedai." She curtseyed again.

"Gather your belongings, we are leaving immediately."  
  


"I don't have any."

"Well, then, follow me." The Aes Sedai replied, taking her to where three Ebou Dari girls were standing.

"What's an Andoran doing here?" One of the girls said, she seemed to be the leader of the group.

"Andoran?" 

"You're obviously from round there aren't you? You have the accent, and the looks."

The accent of Andor? But that's just impossible!

A little voice inside her head told her that it had gone way past impossible now.

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If you haven't noticed, my spelling and grammar is truly atrocious, so I really need a BETA, please email me at starborn2000@optusnet.com.au if you're willing!

Cya 'round!

*Starborn*


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